Nathan is afraid of heights but he wanted to challenge himself so he climbed Slieve Donard and raised £13,000

Just a few metres from the peak of Slieve Donard, Nathan Pierson turned to his mum and grinned. The teenager couldn’t believe he’d made it. And as she grinned back and waved him on, he ran to the top, his Superman cape flying in the wind behind him.

Nathan had overcome a lifelong fear of heights – and raised thousands of pounds for charity.

“He’s such good boy,” says mum Leza.

“He has the biggest heart and such determination. Everything shines through Nathan’s eyes and people are mesmerized by him. He’s a special young man.”

Despite the many challenges he’s faced, Nathan has remarkable focus and never complains about his lot.

Diagnosed with autism at just three, he also has a speech disorder and a learning disability. And while socialising and working to help other people might not seem the most natural thing in the world, that’s exactly what Nathan does, every day.

His great work started after Leza broke her ankle on a mountain walk with friends in October 2012.

She recalled: “It was after I was rescued that Nathan wanted to say thank you to his heroes.

“I had three breaks and was in different plasters so couldn’t do much for almost a year. I’m the closest person to Nathan so for anything to happen to me was very distressing.

“As soon as it happened he wanted to thank them for rescuing me. He wanted to challenge himself and because he was afraid of heights he decided to climb the highest mountain he could, which was Donard.”

Over the course of three years Nathan, now 20, trained himself to cope with ever higher heights, starting with small hills and mountains, working himself up to the big event.

Leza said: “With every walk he did, he gained a bit more confidence. Then on the day of the big climb there were 50 of us all dressed as superheroes. We were so excited.

“As we were getting to the top, Nathan stopped just a few metres away and said, ‘I’m waiting on you Mummy’. But I said, ‘No, go on, this is your moment, on you go’. It brought back all the determination to him, and he did it, all by himself.”

On that first fundraising event, Nathan had set out to make £150. But the amount he has made so far has eclipsed that figure.

In just over a year he has raised more than £13,000 for the Mourne Mountain Rescue Service – and he has no plans to slow down.

Nathan, from Annalong, Co Down, has organised more events including a craft fair with a BBQ, boot sale, a cupcake stand and a raffle with donations from local businesses. Although not all that came easy.

And when some local businesses didn’t respond to Nathan’s initial emails asking for donations, the determined youngster took another approach.

Leza added: “He said to me, ‘Eye to eye’ mummy. So he wrote out a sheet and I brought him in to all the businesses that hadn’t answered, we asked for the manager, Nathan handed it over an watched as they read it. And he was right because he ended up with 37 great raffle prizes and a table full of tombola prizes. They were all fantastic.”

And because of his amazing work and determination, Nathan, who has two older brothers – Jordan, 21 and 26-year-old Jamie – has been named a Local Lidl Hero winner.

Leza added: “He was absolutely blown away. All he wants to do is help people and do what he can for others. I don’t think he’s ever thought, ‘Poor me’.”

That’s not to say he doesn’t struggle though, and Leza admitted there are moments of sadness through all the joy and achievement.

She said: “Sometimes he does look at other people’s lives and realise he’s different.

“Especially when he sees other young guys with their girlfriends. He’ll say, ‘I’d like somebody to love me mummy, so that you can have a wee break.’

“He doesn’t feel sorry for himself you see. He’s more concerned about me getting a break. But while he knows he’s missing out on some things he wants to be how he is because if he didn’t have autism, he wouldn’t be Nathan.

“He’s open about it and how it makes him feel.”

One of the most moving insights Leza had into her son’s thoughts about relationships came when she stumbled upon something he’d written.

She added: “Nathan loves to do lists. And sometimes he’ll not sleep at night because he sits up writing. There are lists of films or lists of songs.

“But he actually did this list about his wedding day. He had planned it all from start to finish which was a bit sad for me. We are very honest with each other. I try to explain as best I can to him, but it pulls the heart strings sometimes. Nathan said he wanted someone genuine who would love him for who he was. And obviously someone who would come and live at our house.

“He had the whole wedding planned – the music, where it would be, the whole guest list was written.”

Naturally, Nathan’s future is some thing that is a concern for Leza and husband James, both 48.

She said: “It’s hard for me that he may not have those things – a partner, a family of his own.

“As any parent of a child with a learning disability you wonder what will happen when you’re not there anymore. Will their lives be any less?

“But then Nathan is amazing. He has so many friends that love him and so many people who care for him. We don’t know what’s going to happen.

“It’s not beyond me to think maybe there is a wee girl out there that might be the one. You have to believe. He always says that to me, ‘You have to believe mummy. Have a little faith’. So that’s what I do. If he can do it, so can I.”